Short on Legs, Long on Determination

Today is my three week anniversary of my knee replacement surgery. Two days ago, Monday, I had my first outpatient physical therapy visit. It was great.

I knew I had done a good job on my own, and with my home PT. I was close to full extension with my knee, and past 90 degrees bending. But I didn’t realize how well I was doing until Al, my therapist said, “Okay, let’s get you up on the bike and see if you can get around at all.” The real test of any knee work is to move your knee around on a stationary bicycle. That requires full range of motion.

Well, I did bicycle. And, I biked for over 5 minutes! I was so proud of myself. Al was the one who titled this post. He’s the one who said, “Short on legs, long on determination.” I was tired after therapy, and iced afterwards.

Today, on my three-week anniversary, I biked for 10 minutes, did some other exercises, and even did some stand-ups. That’s where I start from slightly higher than a real chair, and stand up using just my legs, no hands involved. Today, my nap was a full hour after lunch. I was exhausted.

I’m still working from the couch upstairs. I still take a nap after lunch. I’m still using a walker. But now the real strength training can start, now that I have close to full mobility back. And just three weeks from my surgery!

Of course, all I’ve done the past three weeks is work on my knee. But that’s my job right now. The more attention I pay to my rehab, the better my knee will be, and faster. And that’s the point of doing the rehab.